


Sweet Escape

by bobbiejelly



Series: Guess Who's Crushing on Addison Montgomery? [45]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, MerAdd, meddison
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27699755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobbiejelly/pseuds/bobbiejelly
Summary: "So… My daddy's here, and he wants to have me over for dinner. Or rather, my step-mother wants to have me over for dinner with him. My father. Who has a whole new life and a whole new family without me, and now they want to have me over for dinner, and Derek broke up with me because I drowned myself, even though it was only for a split-second when I hadn't figured it out yet, and I don't want to go to dinner with them alone!"
Relationships: Meredith Grey & Addison Montgomery, Meredith Grey/Addison Montgomery
Series: Guess Who's Crushing on Addison Montgomery? [45]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1797412
Comments: 28
Kudos: 90





	1. Chapter 1

_Author's note:_

Ah, a fake-dating fic. With a different plotline than some others that folks have in the works. Enjoy the hilarity!

bobbiejelly

* * *

**Sweet Escape**

* * *

"So… My daddy's here, and he wants to have me over for dinner. Or rather, my step-mother wants to have me over for dinner with him. My father. Who has a whole new life and a whole new family without me, and now they want to have me over for dinner, and Derek broke up with me because I drowned myself, even though it was only for a split-second when I hadn't figured it out yet, and I don't want to go to dinner with them alone!" Meredith rambles, trying to convince any one of her friends to accompany her.

"I'll cook," offers Izzie.

"I'll eat, but that's about it," offers Alex.

"I have surgery," offers Cristina.

"CRISTINA!?" Says Meredith, incredulously.

"What?" Says Cristina. "At least you have a daddy. Mine's dead," she deadpans, and Meredith sighs.

"Alright, well, what am I gonna do now? Ooh! George!" Meredith tries.

"I'm married, Meredith," George offers.

"Right…" Meredith sighs. "You have married-man things to do. Hmm… Could I borrow Burke then?" Meredith asks Cristina.

"Hahahahhaha, you want to borrow Preston Burke as your buffer for dinner? Oh, no. Definitely not. After my surgery he's coming home with me so we can-" Cristina starts, until Meredith rolls her eyes and stops her train of thought.

"Dude, you could ask McSteamy? Or, I'll ask Sloan for you, hey, maybe that'll win me some points for plastics…" Alex muses.

"No! It can' be McSteamy. I've got enough trouble already with dumping McDreamy. I do not need McSteamy on top of all of this!" Says Meredith.

"Wait, you're worried about falling for McSteamy now that McDreamy's burned over your bridge again?!" Izzie giggles.

"Well…" Meredith twirls her hair around her head.

"Right…" Says George. Well, you'll just have to pick someone you could never fall for as your guest. You can borrow Callie if you want to?" George offers.

"Dude, you're loaning her your wife?" Says Alex.

"She'll do it if I ask really nicely, and if I promise to-" George begins, until Izzie shakes her head at him.

"Sorry Meredith, but I have a surgery after. I would though, for you though. Because your mom just died. Not for George, because, for the record, I don't just do whatever he asks me to," says Callie after she materializes from around the corner.

"Doctors?" None other than Richard Webber appears.

"Chief!" Meredith exclaims squeakily.

"Hello," all the other interns plus Callie say in chorus.

"Well, hello there. So there are some exciting surgeries today that Dr. Bailey will speak with you about them, and I'm about to meet the board candidates today, so I'll be busy, but have a good one," says Richard before walking away.

"You could ask the Chief? I mean, he's probably free because he's not with Adele, right?" Offers Callie.

"Umm, no," says Meredith.

"Why not?" Callie asks innocently.

"Because the Chief banged my mother, so my father's not so fond of him," Meredith deadpans.

"Oh- oh, God, I'm sorry," Callie says awkwardly. "Well, umm, now I feel like I have to do something to help. And I can't come tonight because I'm busy but I could ask Mark or Addison for you?" Callie offers sweetly.

"She's already ruled out Sloan, I offered," says Alex.

"Ooh! What about Addison?" Says Izzie brightly.

"What!?" Says Meredith confusedly.

"Well, I mean, you said you wanted someone you could never fall for, right? And the she-Shepherd is McDreamy's ex-McWifey, so she's basically the last person on earth you could ever end up with. Plus, I mean, she saved Molly Grey's baby right? So your Daddy and fake-Mommy already love her. It sounds like a great plan!" Offers Cristina.

"Actually, when you put it that way, Addison seems like a good option. Though, if she's not married to Derek anymore, I'm not sure if it applies to be calling her the she-Shepherd?" Meredith shrugs.

"Fine, call her Satan, or the Ruler-Of-All-That-Is-Evil, or whatever. But I still think you might want to take her for dinner," says Cristina dryly.

"I'm not sure if I should call her any or either of those things if I want to ask her to dinner…" Says Meredith nervously.

"Relax, Mer. It's not like you're asking her out on a date, or asking to kiss her or something…" Alex smirks.

"What!? Of course not!?" Says Meredith.

"Wait, what!? Was that even a consideration!? You and what- a woman!? Meredith, you never told us that you were- I mean, you thought I was gay for a while but I'm not. And I'm not saying that you are, but if you are- wait, but are you!?" George fumbles.

"You can be more than one-or-the-other, George," offers Izzie.

"Wait!? But are you!?" George exclaims at Izzie.

"Dude, I sure hope so!" Says Alex, nudging at Izzie.

"Geez, of course," Izzie rolls her eyes at Alex and George simultaneously.

"Y'know, I always vaguely wondered if I could ever be into women…" Callie muses to herself.

"WAIT WHAT NOW!?" George exclaims to his wife. "Now, we have to talk about this!" George continues, and the pair of them walk off together.

"Dude, just ask her. It's not a big deal, she's just Dr. Montgomery. And for what it's worth, if you end up having to, she's a good kisser," Alex smirks purposefully, just to make Izzie jealous, as she whisks Alex away similarly.

"Wait, did Alex just say that he has kissed Dr. Montgomery!?" Meredith waves her arms in the air.

"He did. Wait- Mer, are you- are you… jealous!?" Cristina teases.

"WHAT!? NO!? OF COURSE NOT!? HOW SCREWED UP WOULD THAT BE!?" Meredith frowns at her best friend who is still staring at her amusedly.

"Okay, so you're not jealous. So you're just misdirecting your dark & twisty. So you're just being Meredith. Whatever, you'll figure it out with your daddy-issues and your fake-mommy issues. I'll come in later with an emergency or something if you page me. But I gotta go now, I have surgery. See ya," skips off Cristina.

"See ya…" Meredith says, still standing at the counter all dejectedly.

"Ooh! Wait. Bailey! What are you doing tonight!?" Meredith asks her.

"I'm going home to ma husband and ma child, Grey, why thank you for asking," Bailey says sharply.

"Right…" Meredith sighs.

"Now, go consult with Dr. Sloan about the case, Grey," says Bailey.

"Yes, I'm going…" Says Meredith, rushing on her way but still asking and failing to make plans with both nurse Olivia AND nurse Tyler.

She's about to break and ask Joe and/or Walter, but then she decides to ask Mark for advice.

"So, to be clear, what I'm about to ask you is completely about being a part of the co dirty-mistress' club, and NOT a proposition of ANY KIND. And SO not a date-" Meredith begins, and then she sees his shit-eating-grin, and realizes that she's so, so, so screwed already.

"Right…" Mark smiles widely, and Meredith can't take it, so she changes her mind all over again.

"Okay, so I changed my mind again. I'm not asking YOU to dinner. I just need advice about asking your… Friend… To dinner… With me… And also my father… And also my stepmother…" Meredith asks awkwardly.

"You know, Derek's just going to do it because he's into you, right?" Mark says easily.

"No! Not Derek. I'm not talking about Derek! WE are NOT talking about DEREK!" Meredith pouts loudly.

"But you're always talking about Derek," says Mark.

"We're not talking about Derek here," says Meredith, putting her foot down.

"So wait, then who are we talking about then?" Mark questions.

"Umm… Come here…" Meredith says quietly, motioning for him to come over so she can whisper.

"Ooh, it's a secret. You know I love secrets…" Mark says eagerly.

"Oh, get your mind out of the gutter Mark. It's about… Addison…" Meredith bites her lip, and when she leans away from Mark she can see his elated expression, and she realizes that asking Mark to take his mind out of the gutter was just a warning, and not something that was ever, ever, going to happen.

"Ohhh! You want to ask out Addison! Well, you've come to the very right place! You see, I'd like to think about myself as the expert at Addison at this point!" Mark gloats.

"Oh, shut it, Sloan. If you were the expert at Addison, then you'd be with Addison. But you're not, and here we are. And I need your help. So just tell me what I need to know about asking out Addison!" Meredith groans loudly.

"Well, if I were you…" Mark whispers into Meredith's ear, as she nods intently, and just as she thinks that he's finished he adds on "oh, and by the way, if it ever comes up, you know that she's a really great kisser, right?" Mark chuckles.

"No! Or yes! Or whatever. Why are you telling me this because I do not need to know that, because you people keep insisting on telling me that she's a great kisser when I do not need to know this! Because it's not gonna happen okay! So stop fantasizing about it, or me, or her, or us!" Meredith yells at Mark again.

"Wait, who was telling you that she was a great kisser now?" Says Mark jealousy.

"Mm… Derek…?" Meredith lies poorly.

"Grey, you're lying," Mark deadpans.

"Fine, it was Alex…" Meredith says under her breath honestly.

"Karev!? God, am I going to torture that man…" Mark huffs under his breath as he walks away.

"Great… thanks for all the advice there…" Meredith sighs, as she begins to scrub in for her surgery.

The moment it's over, Meredith stumbles into Susan Grey and Thatcher Grey again, and they're all of a sudden finalizing their plans for dinner that evening.

"Yeah, so, could we do it at my house?" Meredith asks tensely.

"You mean, like, our old house?" Thatcher asks without tact.

"Well, I guess…" Meredith shrugs as Susan Grey acquiesces.

"That sounds great," says Susan Grey, and it makes Meredith feel odd at how hard she's trying.

"Okay…" says Meredith. "How about eight?" She says, and they agree, and Meredith realizes that she's still alone at this point.

She doesn't want to ask Derek, but then she does again, because she's run out of options, and she's too chicken to actually ask Addison.

"Derek…" Meredith peers into the window.

"Meredith!" Derek smiles at her, his big puppy-dog smile, and then Meredith snaps out of it and remembers how he yelled at her the other day, and then she just says "bye," and walks away from him.

"Wait, Derek, I did want to ask you something…" Meredith finally settles on.

"Yes?" He says all too arrogantly.

"It's about Addison," Meredith says, smirking as he squirms under her gaze, as she has the upper-hand now.

"About- wait you're asking me about my ex-wife?" Derek frowns at her.

"Yes, I am," Meredith smirks even more, enjoying herself. "Is she… Is she a better kisser than I am? You see, the word on the street is that she's good. And I want to know, just HOW good is good, am I even good?" Meredith asks him.

"Umm, Addison is… Yes, she's a good kisser, or, was, because it's been a while, and you're a great kisser. Really. Great, you see-" Derek tries to keep selling himself to her, but Meredith's had enough so she walks away leaving him rambling on about how she's a good kisser, when all Meredith can think about is how he used to kiss Addison.

And then, speak of the she-Devil, there she is, in all her red-headed, Prada-wearing, scalpel-wielding-glory, about to scrub in on a surgery, and Meredith finds herself chasing after her.

Idly, Meredith wonders if this is what Derek, or Mark, or Alex, or all of them felt running after her.

But she decides to squish those thoughts away now, as she clears her throat and tries to form a coherent sentence here.

"Addison…" Meredith tries. "Dr. Montgomery…" She tries again, and this time, Addison hears her, and turns around to face Meredith.

"Dr. Grey…" Addison says all professionally and calmly, and Meredith is suddenly breathless, and wife-eyed, and almost forgets what she has to say in the first place.

"Ah-" Meredith stumbles initially, before finally pacing herself.

"Are you alright?" Addison asks her. "If you need anything, I mean, I could understand that. Your mother just passed away, you almost passed away in Elliot Bay, and then you were here, and you were lifeless for… Hours… And you were so cold… I could understand if you needed time or space or something…" Says Addison compassionately, and when her compassion hits Meredith, she realizes all of a sudden how special it feels to be the object of Addison's attention.

And it stuns her a little. Freaks her out, honestly. Meredith is standing there, and Addison is standing there, and Addison is looking at her with these big green eyes, and Meredith finds herself completely entranced by them.

"Hi."

"Hi?" Addison asks her, giving her some time to figure out what she's trying to say here.

"Hi. Look, Addison. You don't owe me anything. Nothing. Absolutely anything, so actually I'm just gonna go, and thank you, for- whatever this is…" Meredith goes to walk away because she can't handle how nice Addison is being to her, and she hasn't figured out why this woman doesn't hate her.

"It's okay, Meredith. As I said, you're a strong person. You've overcome a lot, and you'll overcome more. But if you did need anything, I have a minute, that's all," Addison nearly whispers.

And it hits Meredith, just like that, that Addison isn't yelling or kicking and screaming. She's not expecting Meredith to be alright nor to be falling apart. And she's just standing there offering nothing in particular, not trying to fix her, or her life, or her problems. She's just there, and that twinges something deep inside of her.

This person is so put together; yet so broken.

And she's almost exactly like Meredith in some ways.

Maybe that's why she seems to somehow instinctively know just what Meredith needs.

"Look, you don't have to. Be nice to me. I mean, I don't want you to do this out of some obligation to Derek, or Mark, or Alex," Meredith says softly.

"What?" Says Addison. "Oh, no, I- never mind. If I'm making you uncomfortable I'm sorry about that," Addison offers.

"Oh, no, it's not that either. It's just… You're being nice to me. When everyone else is just focusing on their own problems, or trying to fix mine, or trying to fix me. And you're just standing here and being nice to me. It's confusing!" Says Meredith.

"Confusing?" Says Addison.

"Yes, confusing!" Says Meredith. "It's like, the people who are supposed to care about me the most like my mother and father, they abandoned me. And the people who have no reason to care about me, like Susan Grey, and Richard Webber, and YOU, are all the ones who seem to be nice to me, what's up with that!?" Meredith rambles.

"Maybe some people are just… Nice?" Addison shrugs awkwardly.

"Right, but people aren't nice. Or not that nice all the time. Or not that nice to their enemies!? See, this is why this is confusing. I'm not this nice to people all of the time, so why should you be nice to me back?" Says Meredith frustratedly.

"Well, if it helps, you're easy to be nice to," says Addison.

"What!?" Says Meredith.

"You just are. I mean, sure, you stole my husband. But I stole your dog. And all of that was long after I stole Mark from Derek, so anyway, I just don't see why we can't all be nice to each other," Addison says flatly.

"I gave you the dog," Meredith deadpans.

"Thanks, Doc was a nice dog," Addison shrugs again.

"Look, Addison. What I was going to ask you was… You see, because Susan Grey already likes you, because you saved Molly Grey, and Molly Grey's baby, Laura-Grey Thompson, and whatnot, and because you've already met Thatcher Grey, and of course, you don't have to, but Izzie's cooking, and Izzie is good at cooking, and if you aren't busy tonight, I mean, you probably actually have a surgery to get to, but if you don't, then I mean, if you want to. Not that you'd want to. Because my family is like hell on earth, but only if it didn't bother you. But of course, it probably definitely bothers you, but actually, y'know, never mind…" Meredith rambles, then cuts herself off, and then just hangs her head in the hallway again.

"It's okay, Grey, and yes, your family seems to like me. Saving their grandchild tends to do that for a person," Addison chuckles.

"Okay, well. You haven't already run away yet. I would have, but you're there. And you're here, and if you- you said you would offer to do something for me, but this is a really big favor here, and I don't think I should be asking you this kind of big favor, because it could turn into a three-hour-long favor, so I really can't ask you this- so-" Meredith cuts herself off just to take another deep breath here.

"Grey, what- what's the favor here? I'm not quite understanding?" Addison asks her.

"Oh, that, well, it's this thing. A meal. Dinner. Really. At my place. Which is also my dad's place. Well, his old place, because now he has a place at Susan Grey's place. But I mean, it's at my mother's old house where I live now because she's dead. And I have roommates. But my roommates are out tonight except for Izzie, because Izzie's making chicken, but she'll be in the kitchen, and-" Meredith keeps on ranting.

"Meredith, what is the question here, because I don't mind, seriously, but I've got to go soon because I have a consultation," Addison says gently.

"Oh, that. Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight. With me. And my step-family. And the big house that my mother left me in Seattle-" Meredith finally gets out.

"Oh, sure," says Addison simply.

"Wait what!?" Says Meredith, exaggeratedly.

"Sure?" Says Addison. "It's just dinner right?" Says the surgeon. "I'm free tonight, and it sounds lovely. I'm glad you're getting a chance to be closer with your family," says Addison.

"They're not my- well they are but- wait, you'll do it? Just like that? Without any begging, or bargaining, or promises of-" Meredith cuts herself off before she'll say something she deeply regrets here.

"Yeah, I said sure, just tell me when and where to meet you. I'll bring a bottle of wine. It's the least I can do," Addison shrugs, and then reaches out to pat Meredith gently on the shoulder. "It'll be okay, Grey. It'll all be great," she says soothingly, and Meredith finally relaxes.

She tenses, actually. Meredith tenses again at the intensity of Addison's hand on her shoulder, and the heat of Addison's gaze.

Meredith is finally on dry land again, and she already feels that she's drowning again, but this time in a good way.

And then while Addison is walking away from her, on the way to her consultation, Meredith just stands there alone in the hallway again, wondering what the hell Alex and Mark and Derek were thinking, telling her that this woman is a good kisser.

Because now it's all she can think about, and it's freaking her out all over again.

Holy hell, this is going to be a long day.

And now, for the most unexpected of reasons, Meredith Grey finds herself anxiously awaiting the most unusual dinner party she's ever held, yet to date.

_(Her so-not-a-date, with none other than Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery)._

* * *

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***** **END OF CHAPTER 1**

* * *

_Author's Note:_

Thanks for reading, folks!

**bobbiejelly**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's seven-forty-three and Meredith Grey is kinda freaking out here.

_Author's note:_

Ah, perhaps one of the most hotly-anticipated second chapters of anything I've written as of late- thanks so much for the lovely reviews, and welcome to the wonderful and wild mess that this is :).

bobbiejelly

* * *

**Sweet Escape 2**

* * *

It's seven-forty-three and Meredith Grey is kinda freaking out here.

_Honestly._

Izzie's in the kitchen furiously chopping up the last remaining garnishes for the chicken while Meredith paces around the kitchen aimlessly, running through all of the worst-case scenarios that could possibly go wrong tonight.

_And all the best-case scenarios? Of things that could possibly go right?_

"Izzie…?" Meredith begins nervously.

"Yeah, Mer?" Izzie says between her sprigs of parsley.

"Have you ever…" Meredith starts as she bites her lip nervously. "Have you ever… Felt anything… For women?" she begins generally, and then almost regrets saying anything when she looks up at Izzie's amused expression.

"Whoa, Mer, I'm surprised I'm not asking YOU that," Izzie teases.

"Hey!" says Meredith.

"Well, I mean, no offense Mer, but remember that time that you and Derek broke up the first time? You had 'guests,' home every night for a month. Well, I just figured that some of those people had to have been women because I'd be surprised if there were that many half-decent guys roaming around Joe's at that time of night in Seattle," Izzie shrugs.

"Wait, is this just a you-hypothesis? Or is this something that you, George, Cristina, and Alex are all in on?!" Meredith frets.

"Well…" This time Izzie smiles nervously, apologetically really, and this time Meredith gets a little bit tenser.

She wants to know her answer though, actually, they both do.

But they don't get that chance because the doorbell rings, and Meredith sprints to get it faster than she ever answers pages at the hospital from Miranda Bailey.

"Oh, hi, come in…" Meredith says half-heartedly to her step-mother and her estranged father and looks around behind them desperately to see if she can see any signs of Addison.

_Why isn't she here yet!?_

"Hello, Meredith," Thatcher Grey says, and Meredith wonders if he's stumbling slightly, but she doesn't openly question it, and she moves to hang up his coat in the closet before taking Susan Grey's.

"Well ah, come in," Meredith adds, as she leads them to the pre-set table that Izzie had spent the afternoon working on, noting the lit candles and matching silverware that Meredith didn't even know she still had until when Izzie dug them out of the cupboard.

It flashes through Meredith's mind unexpectedly that if she were (hypothetically, of course), to have someone over for a date, that this would be the perfect place-setting for it, and she realizes she can't wait to see if Addison appreciates them.

She thinks that Derek wouldn't fully, or at least, he might not compliment them. Or do so dutifully only when prompted.

Whether or not his ex-leggy-and-fabulous counterpart will do the same or not is yet to be determined…

But not yet anyhow, as she hasn't arrived by seven-forty-seven, and Meredith is getting more and more anxious.

_For her actually invited guest, this evening._

"Is everything alright?" Susan Grey offers very kindly, and Meredith snaps back into the present moment and starts nodding before she can even begin speaking.

"Oh, yes, everything is great…" Meredith says as she motions for her to sit with her… Husband… (is he her first husband? As Susan Grey is Thatcher's second wife? Meredith isn't going to ask), and they both sit on one side of the table, and Meredith can't help but feel that her side of the table with the seat that she's saving for Addison is feeling more and more empty by the millisecond.

"Are we waiting for anyone?" Thatcher asks her, practically reading her mind, and even though it's an obvious question, Meredith can't help but feel a bit annoyed at it.

_Yes!_

"We're ah, yes. We are," Meredith says flatly.

"Oh," Thatcher replies unceremoniously.

"That sounds lovely," Susan Grey responds supportively, and it should make Meredith feel better, but it doesn't because she's used to her now-dead absent mother, so someone this supportive and reassuring suddenly calling herself her family is just plain weird.

Meredith wishes she could start drinking, but she can't very well slam tequila on Izzie's perfectly set table, much less in front of her… Relatives… So she offers Thatcher and Susan some water in the meantime as she waits for the wine as promised by Dr. Montgomery.

_I wonder what kind of wine she drinks?_

Meredith can tell that her relatives are trying their best to try making small-talk with her for the moment, and Meredith is only half tuned-in, half tuned-out, as she continues watching the door for the slightest sign of movement.

_I bet Addison drinks the most delicious, fancy, expensive foreign wine that has to be held behind the counter…_

"So, Meredith, we wanted to thank you again, for all the work that you did on our daughter and our great-granddaughter's case," Susan Grey begins, and the subject prickles Meredith at this point, because it rips open the wounds that she froze up in that O.R, and how she didn't know what to say while Laura Grey-Thompson was being born, and how she never really confessed that part.

_And about how she seriously failed Addison Montgomery. At work. Again._

Meredith can't help but hang her head slightly even as she nods at this, and the moment drags on forever as she has nothing to say at all, and her head is scrambled like Izzie's Sunday morning scrambled eggs at this point, and she just wishes she had someone else to help move this conversation along-

"Ding" Meredith hears from the other room, and Meredith leaps up to the door as fast as she possibly can, before realizing that the sound was actually the kitchen timer, and Izzie's just taking out the vegetables to allow them to cool before serving them.

_Damnit._

From this vantage point, Meredith studies the walkway leading up to the front porch, and she decides that she's had enough of this suffocating inside-ness, so she steps out into the chilly fall air.

_I see her!_

At this point, a tall and long-legged redhead approaches in her now-familiar black fur-coat and porcelain skin, all dolled up with fresh makeup and pearls.

She looks like a perfect doll, something to cherish.

_Something to-_

Meredith tries to snap herself out of it, start making conversation, start making sense.

She watches Addison look up and wave at her, and her heart starts beating faster and faster, and her smile starts getting brighter and brighter.

"Addison…" Meredith begins, voice excited rather than nearly breaking.

Meredith wants to tell her how gorgeous she is. How pristine. How enticing as she sways her hips up to her doorstep, a bottle of rosé in hand, as promised, the pale pink color of the mulled wine perfectly matching the color of her cheeks.

"Thank you for coming," Meredith settles on, unsure of crossing too many lines if she were to compliment this woman who she'd initially brought here based only off of the offhanded suggestions of the other interns.

_And now it's turning into an entire quarter-life-crisis!_

The wind blows a tad, and Addison's hair ruffles in the wind, and it takes Meredith's breath away.

"It's my pleasure, Meredith," Addison smiles genuinely, and all the insecurities just seem to fade away as Meredith is comforted by Addison's words.

Addison isn't a liar, or at least, she hadn't been.

Meredith has no reason not to trust her, so she just goes with it and she does, and all of a sudden Addison is reaching out her hand towards her again, and the moment it arrives on her back Meredith can't help but feel hot all at once.

It's a glow that she can't even begin to describe, and she basks in it as long as Addison will allow her to.

Just this small instance of touch is so healing, so moving, that Meredith can't pull away.

Until Addison does finally, and with one final pat on her shoulder, she motions toward the door with her head, smiles, and offers that perhaps they might get going inside.

At this, Meredith is suddenly mortified she's forgotten the other half of her guest list and also the entire premise of this very evening.

_The meeting with her not-mother and father._

"Right…" Meredith sighs, and Addison offers her a "chin up, Grey," of encouragement had, and Meredith flashes back to the last time that Addison had said that to her, albeit in an entirely different context.

Just as they reach the threshold of the house, Addison stops for a second and notes the wooden swing on the porch.

"It's so rustic," Addison says in a genuine tone.

"It's broken…" Meredith huffs a little.

"As in?" Addison quirks, and Meredith's head shoots up, wondering what Addison could possibly know about any sort of construction.

In her mind, doctors were only doctors and only good at doctoring, only.

And in her mind, this prowess of a woman doctor being interested in construction is only serving to make Meredith feel all the more dizzy with these warm fuzzy butterfly flips for her, and she's so lost for a moment as Addison pokes and prods at her father's old swing set she forgets that Addison's even asked her a question in the first place.

She figures it out on her own though, thankfully for Meredith.

"Oh, here it is," Addison says casually, pulling a pin out of the top of the chair which had been blocking the rotating mechanism. "It looks like it had been put there on purpose. Maybe so it wouldn't squeak at night?" Addison shrugs, and it's only when Meredith looks up at Addison again that she realizes that she's been caught staring.

_Whoa._

"It… works now…" Meredith stands there still awestruck, talking to herself as much as she's voicing her thoughts aloud for Addison.

The redhead turns toward her over her shoulder, smiling assuredly at Meredith as she answers quite humbly, "it always did, Grey. Or, at least, it had the potential to. It wasn't broken; it just needed to be unlocked again," she says crisply, as the wind caresses her face again, and her curls shadow down her cheeks.

Somehow, Meredith takes in each and every one of these words, and she clings to them. Captivated by Addison's optimistic sense of the world, whilst simultaneously downplaying her role in these recent affairs.

Had it been Derek, or Burke, or even Sloan, they might have bellowed from the rooftops about how they'd repaired her swing for once and for all.

And Addison just stands there now, swaying it back and forth to check that the gears are still working, satisfied that her efforts had been effective after all.

After the swing is swinging again, Meredith feels a nostalgia from when she was young, and would play on the swing. Usually alone, because she doesn't have any siblings.

Correction; didn't have any siblings.

At this point, Meredith realizes that contrary to her previous understanding of having been an only child, she's had two step-sisters nearly this entire time.

For a brief moment, Meredith wonders what it might have been like if she had had Molly Grey and Lexie Grey to hang out with back then.

She stares at the swing longingly for a second longer before her eyes gaze back up to Addison again, and then she's struck with an even deeper, aching longing to sit on the swing with the very woman who's repaired it by chance upon seeing it, long after Meredith had given up hope in it entirely.

She gulps, takes in this mental snapshot of the two of them having a chance at some sort of "happily ever after," together, and then she's kicking herself for finally remembering why Addison is even here at all, under this pretense of playing nice for these folks who have walked into her life after all of these years before he's had half a second to even adjust.

"Do you think they might need a hand in the kitchen?" Asks Addison thoughtfully.

And there it is again, this selflessness that Meredith has previously only seen directed at patients, which apparently spills over into her off-duty life.

_How the hell did Derek ever want to leave a woman like that?_

Meredith had no idea about that one. But she tries to concentrate back to the people-pleasing part of her journey where she guesses that Izzie had this totally handled, though she's probably wondering what's actually taking so long for them to sit back at the table, and Susan Grey and her father are probably wondering why the hell they should be waiting for her.

So Meredith takes one last look at the swing before she leads Addison inside to her patchwork house where it seems that practically everyone has lived except for her.

She takes Addison's coat and hangs it up next to her own, and she heads over to the table to seat Addison beside her, grinning up at the surgeon as she unfolds the wrapper from the bottle of wine, begins serving it, just as Izzie Stevens appears with their dinner.

As they settle in and say a few words before they eat, Meredith can't help but stare past her father, stare past her step-mother, stare past Addison even, to the still-slow-moving swing from her childhood, reanimated once more, as she pictures the chambers of her very soul channeling forth this new momentum, and newly re-functioning this way; the very same.

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***** **END OF CHAPTER 2**

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_Author's Note:_

Thanks for reading, folks!

**bobbiejelly**


	3. Chapter 3

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**Sweet Escape 3**

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When Izzie says she's cooking, she really freaking means it.

It's only the appetizer, but already, you've had a basaltic glazed salad with fennel and edible flowers.

Meredith thinks this must all be finger food for Dr. Montgomery, but she compliments it anyway, and it appears strangely genuine.

"It's so nice to have a home-cooked meal," Addison says, "Izzie is quite the chef."

This causes Meredith to realize that Addison hasn't been eating home-cooked meals for a while, and then suddenly, she realizes she divorced Derek so she must have moved out of his trailer.

Meredith has no idea where it is, though, but it must be somewhere not permanent enough to have a full kitchen, but for long enough she hasn't eaten that well in a while.

It makes Meredith want to kidnap her or something, and feed her more and more of Izzie's muffins.

All of these absolutely absurd thoughts that have no place swimming around in her head right now.

Meredith fleetingly debates asking Addison to stay the night with her, but then, she realizes this isn't actually an appropriate time to be asking such a thing so she tries to jump back into the actually occurring conversation.

_What the hell am I thinking!?_

"So, Meredith, you know Dr. Montgomery here tells me you did a great job with Molly Grey's surgery. We really appreciate it, you know," Susan Grey offers politely.

"Oh-" Meredith squirms. "Well, actually I-" Meredith panics, and begins to confess that she'd actually nearly screwed it up entirely.

"I'm sorry for panicking in there, I mean, she's my kid right, so I was just so worried. Sorry for pushing you," Susan Grey adds.

"It's alright, really-" Meredith sighs.

"Meredith did some good research for that case," Addison offers supportively, and Meredith blushes under her attentive gaze.

"Well, I'm just glad that I got to meet my grandchild!" pipes in Thatcher Grey.

"I apologize myself, it was less than a sound decision to have Meredith working there with family, it was a tough position for her to be, and in the future, I'll re-evaluate such choices," Addison continues professionally.

Meredith studies Addison's expression for a while, seeing the insecurity in Addison's eyes for the first time. Generally, Addison is so composed, so it throws Meredith off for a moment to see her struggle.

"Well, you did your work well," Thatcher says flatly, and that seems to be the end of that.

"Thank you," Meredith whispers to Addison quietly as she watches her father pour himself another drink.

Meredith winces a little as he slams the bottle back on the table, and as she opens her eyes, she notices that Addison's subconsciously done the same.

It makes Meredith wonder for a minute what kind of demons that Addison's faced in her past, and her thoughts spiral for a little while until Susan Grey picks up the conversation again.

"So, Meredith, how have your other cases at the hospital been so far since your residency's started?" Susan Grey asks her. Somehow Susan must have sensed that family is a touchy topic, and despite sort-of hating Susan Grey for parachuting into her life unexpectedly, Meredith is at the very least grateful that she's being shifted back closer to her comfort zone.

"It's been exciting," Meredith begins, and then she searches her brain for cases she can give as examples. She doesn't want to talk about Derek, so neuro is out. She doesn't want to talk about Steve who she'd slept with, so that's out as well. She doesn't want to talk about the bomb because her fake-mother will just real-worry about her. So she finally decides to tell her about the patient who needed a colectomy where Richard Webber let her scrub in.

She realized her faux-pas as soon as she said it though, as she sees her father tense at Richard's name.

"You know…" Thatcher begins, and Meredith diligently buries her face in her salad.

Meredith expects her father to tear her a new one at the mere utterance of her mother's ex-partner-in-adultery, but yet, somehow, Addison must know something, or at least sense the awkwardness, and she steps in yet again to assist her.

"You know, you have a lovely swing out front, did you make it yourself?" Addison asks Thatcher sweetly. And Meredith feels the sudden urge to nudge Addison's foot under the table, but she narrowly resists the temptation, re-focusing her mind on her salad fork.

"Yes, I did build that swing. I built that for Meredith," Thatcher beams, and Meredith relaxes when she sees that her father's been placated.

"It's lovely, do you think you could build another for Laura Grey-Thompson?" Susan asks him.

"Yeah, I might? I don't have the steadiest of hands nowadays though," says Thatcher.

"I bet it could be built easier if you had some help from a hardware store for the mechanical sawing. Then it's just the assembly left," Addison offers, and the thought again of Addison knowing her way around a hardware store sends Meredith into a tailspin of semi-inappropriate fantasies.

"Yeah, I bet," says Thatcher, and Addison smiles as her suggestion is accepted, and Meredith feels that it lights up the entire room.

"Ooh, that looks just delicious," Susan motions towards Izzie Stevens' emerging from the kitchen with a full chicken, roasted..

"Thanks!" says Izzie. "It's actually an adaptation of Preston Burke's turkey recipe, he showed me at Thanksgiving," Izzie offers humbly.

"Wow, such a talented bunch of surgeons you are," Susan Grey offers warmly.

"Hey, Meredith, could I get an extra hand with the vegetables?" Izzie asks as she sets the chicken down.

"Oh, sure-" Meredith offers, suddenly feeling a twinge that she's going to be missing out on something when she's not seated next to Addison for the moment.

"I can help also," Addison pipes in easily, and she's already standing, and Meredith bites the corner of her lip not to smile too hard.

"Thanks!" says Izzie, leading them both into the kitchen to fetch the remaining dishes.

"Soooo, how's it going out there?" offers Izzie as soon as they're out of earshot of Meredith's extended and/or estranged family.

"It's uh, it's going," Meredith sighs heavily, and honestly.

"It's going well, your dinner is great, thanks," Addison offers Izzie.

"Thanks for saving me in there, Dr. Montgomery-" Meredith manages.

"It's alright, you're welcome to call me 'Addison,' in this context," Addison giggles.

She actually _giggles_ , and it makes Meredith melt a little and feel all gooey inside.

"Alright, Addison," Izzie offers, what would you like to carry out?" Izzie motions to the selection of potatoes and vegetables.

"EIther or, I like everything," Addison offers easily.

' _I like everything'._

The words echo in Meredith's mind in a whole different context, and it heats her whole body up in all of the secret places.

Suddenly she can hardly breathe, and she's moving to hide how she's feeling inside, because she's not even sure what's fully happening to her.

"Are you okay?" Addison asks Meredith in a concerned tone, and Meredith suddenly snaps her eyes up to the redhead.

She's suddenly incredibly grateful her friend is here as a buffer, because if Izzie hadn't been here, she's not sure what she might've done.

_Get it together, Meredith!_

"Yeah…" Meredith says, suddenly shy.

"Sure? It seemed a bit tough out there," Addison offers, and Meredith finds herself nodding reflexively, comforted by the fact that Addison isn't here judging her, or trying to act like the hero. She's simply here to hear her out, and it's exactly what Meredith needs right now.

"Yeah," Meredith speaks again.

"Would you like to take a break for a little bit?" Addison offers, and Meredith's heart leaps at the chance here.

"I can bring in the chicken before your parents get too hungry," Izzie offers.

"They're not both my-" the furrow in Meredith's brow returns, but Izzie's gone by this time so she doesn't see it.

The chicken is placed on the table, and Izzie starts making small talk with Susan Grey about the best grocery stores in town, and then Alex Karev comes home so they chat a bit also.

It takes the pressure off Meredith for a minute so she can finally calm down and rest just as Addison had suggested to her.

"Hey," says Addison sweetly, her eyes somehow still shivering.

"I'm so sorry-" Meredith keeps apologizing, very self-conscious about all of this.

"Hey, it's alright, as I said, I was happy to come over. You have a lovely home," she says. "And the dining set is impeccable, though I'm guessing that might have been Izzie?" Addison guesses correctly.

"Yeah," Meredith lightens, and giggles herself at Addison's incredible guessing skills.

"Meredith…" Addison hesitates for a second, this time fidgeting with her hand for a second before starting her next sentence as if she's a bit nervous.

"Yes… Addison?" Meredith begins, using Addison's first name as she'd asked her to, feeling it over her lips and enjoying the feeling.

"Would you like a hug?" she offers, and Meredith's heart jumps a big "YES" inside of her, and Meredith has to hold herself back from outright leaping into Addison's welcoming arms.

"Sure-" Meredith says a bit awkwardly, her body betraying her because she's already stepping forward.

The taller redhead opens her arms and envelops the blonde, the height difference between them working out perfectly for the top of Meredith's head to be resting under Addison's chin.

"You're doing great, Meredith. I know it can't be easy," Addison offers, and Meredith whimpers and tugs her impossibly closer.

"It's just- I know I'm supposed to love them and all, but it's just so much and so fast, and I just feel like I'm not the one who got picked in the end, y'know? And now it's just like being on the losing team and going to the pity party," she whispers.

"I don't pity you," Addison says simply, and Meredith nods into the crook of Addison's neck where she's resting currently.

"Thank you," Meredith says genuinely. "It means a lot to me," says Meredith as she basks in Addison's warmth.

They just stand there for a little while, with Addison holding Meredith tightly, and Meredith nuzzling into the taller woman and closing her eyes for a moment.

"I'm so glad you're here," Meredith whispers so, so softly because she's not intending to actually share these thoughts with Addison right now.

She catches it though, even if perhaps she hadn't been able to hear the words through her shirt, she'd captured them all from the context.

And when Meredith feels her whisper the same into her ear, right in the kitchen of her childhood home, that's when she knows that she's completely and totally and utterly screwed beyond repair.

' _Don't ever go?'_

_Meredith thinks to herself in her head automatically._

_She doesn't say it this time, though. Instead, she simply sighs into Addison's tight hug, simply existing together, in parallel, and enjoying the setting until they both have to go back to their dinner._

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***** **END OF CHAPTER 3**

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	4. Chapter 4

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**Sweet Escape 4**

* * *

"Are you ready to go in yet?" Addison asks Meredith tenderly, as she keeps stroking her hair.

"No," says Meredith, clutching onto Addison's waist.

_Oh, she's so soft._

"Alright then," Addison smiles, and holds Meredith's shoulders again.

"It's just such a train wreck," says Meredith with a sigh.

"Hey, you're doing great out there," Addison says encouragingly.

"Yeah, easy for you to say, the hero who saves babies left and right. And I'm just the-" Meredith goes on to rant about it, but Addison shushes her with two fingers gently placed over her lips.

"There's no need to be self-critical, Meredith. Internship is hard, it's alright to feel down from time to time," says Addison.

"I bet you were never like this," says Meredith.

"Ha, hardly," says Addison. "Only, to be honest, I was more like Dr. Stevens," says Addison.

"Right, but the redheaded version," Meredith laughs.

"Right," says Addison. "But no other differences," she laughs along also.

Eventually, Meredith realizes that their dinner is slowly getting cold, and they're going to end up being suspicious, and Addison reasons with her that the sooner they start eating again, the sooner the dinner will be over.

"Mmkay," says Meredith, agreeing with her but not moving yet.

"Am going to have to detach you?" Addison teases.

"Maybe," Meredith sighs into the crook of Addison's neck.

"Mm, and if I tickle you?" Addison's expression glints with mischief.

"OKAY I'M GOING NOW!" Meredith escapes faster than the speed of light, sprinting back to her place at dinner to avoid at all costs being tickled.

"Well that was easy," says Addison with a chuckle as she too takes her place at the table.

By the time they are back, there's another guest at the table, because Alex Karev is sitting in the corner place and lapping up a whole plate of Izzie's chicken.

"It's good," says Alex as he devours a second plate nearly immediately.

"So Alex, what do you do? Have you picked a surgical specialty yet?" Susan Grey asks him politely.

"Plastics," says Alex. "Even though Dr. Sloan doesn't want to have anything to do with me," Alex shrugs.

"Ah, that's just Mark, he can be a bit of an… Interesting teacher. Don't let him push you around, Karev, says Addison."

"Thanks, Dr. Montgomery," says Alex, his hands still on a chicken wing.

He grins up at her, and Addison laughs, and it makes Meredith irrationally jealous.

Meredith figures her hormones must be acting up or something, because she has no right to be angry at Addison for just playing nice, but the redhead has started to work her way under her skin, and now she's upset because Addison is smiling at Alex, and she just doesn't know what to do with herself.

"And what specialty would you like to go into, Meredith?" Susan Grey asks her.

"Umm, I don't know yet," says Meredith honestly.

She has to snap her eyes back to her step-mother again, because she'd been ogling the way Addison had been twirling her fork around her vegetables so delicately.

"I think you'll be great at whatever you choose," offers Addison supportively, and Meredith's entire body lights up at Addison's encouragement.

It's a powerful moment, when Meredith meets Addison's eyes, and Addison's eyes meet Meredith's. There's a shared pain, and empathy, and connection, and Meredith never wants it ever to end.

"Well, you could always go into neuro like McDreamy," Alex shrugs.

"Maybe…" Meredith grumbles, uninterested at this point about the prospects of working every day with Derek Shepherd.

"Hey, if you do decide to go that way, Derek has a sister that's also a neurosurgeon who could teach you. She's great," Addison offers.

"Younger or older?" Meredith asks, curious.

"Younger," says Addison. "She's the youngest," she adds.

And at this point, as Meredith is nodding along to the smooth tones of Addison's voice, talking about Derek's siblings, she realizes that she hardly ever knew Derek Shepherd at all.

"See, I met them later in life, and things got complicated with our divorce, but I'd still very much consider them my sisters," says Addison.

"Oh, that's so nice," says Meredith, the implications of that hitting her over the head once she realizes that Addison might have been subtly hinting at her potentially becoming closer to her step-family.

"I wish I'd had a sister," says Izzie, emerging from the kitchen with a grape-and-cheese plate.

"Me too," says Meredith. "Or, I mean, one that I'd grown up with," she covers quickly, gesturing to Thatcher and Susan that she meant Molly and Lexie.

"You know, there's this beautiful picture of Molly in a red sled…" Thatcher says whimsically, and Susan's breath catches as she reads Meredith's unease with the situation.

"Thatcher…" she warns, but not quickly enough.

"That was me… In the picture…" Meredith says softly.

"Oh, I suppose it was…" Thatcher guffaws at himself, and Meredith just nods sadly, feeling hurt by her father's lack of memory of her.

"Do you have a copy?" asks Addison. "I bet it was the sweetest picture," says Addison.

"I might," says Meredith, grateful for the opportunity to be hopping up from the table.

"I'll take the plates," offers Izzie, and Alex hops up to help her with them.

"It's good chicken," Alex says plainly.

"I know," says Izzie smugly.

"Great," says Alex, smirking as he takes his share of the stack of plates, and piles them into the kitchen.

"I thought I had it here…" Meredith murmurs to herself as she scours the living room and the kitchen for the picture of herself in the red sled with her father.

"Hey, do you need a hand with that?" A soft voice materializes behind Meredith. "I just can't find it anymore. Hell, maybe I'm making all of it up!" Meredith panics.

"Hey, it's okay. I know you weren't making it up," offers Addison.

"He forgot me!" says Meredith.

"Mm," Addison listens supportively.

"He moved on, and he has a new life now, and he loves his new kids so much that he forgot about his first one," says Meredith.

"Hey, he probably never forgot about you, and even if he did from time to time, you turned out great," offers Addison.

"Thanks," Meredith sniffles.

"No sweat," says Addison, tentatively placing a hand gently onto Meredith's shoulder.

Meredith sighs into the contact, and leans back, moving Addison's arm around her, encasing herself again.

"Someone needs some more snuggles?" Addison asks her.

"Mmhmm," says Meredith pathetically. "Thanks…" she sobs.

"It's going to be alright, you're okay," says Addison as she pats Meredith on the back.

"Is this what it felt like for you, when you met me?" says Meredith, suddenly having a revelation. "Like your husband forgot you, and abandoned you, and moved onto someone younger?" she rambles.

"Not gonna lie, a little bit," giggles Addison. "But this was very much more my own doing, as I said, I cheated on him, not the other way around," says Addison.

"I always wondered if I drove my own father away," offers Meredith.

"Somehow I doubt that," says Addison.

"Right," says Meredith. "Sometimes I wonder if my mother did," she says. "Is that awful!? She's dead. She just died, and I think she wanted my dad not to see me anymore," Meredith gasps.

"People aren't perfect, they can still make bad calls," says Addison.

"Okay, don't I know it," says Meredith. "I suppose I've made some pretty questionable decisions as of late," Meredith laughs.

"Such as?" Addison asks her, amused.

"Well, you already knew about prom, don't you?" Meredith says nervously, squirming because she doesn't want Addison to break away from her at this.

"Yeah, I figured," says Addison. "Did you ever get those panties back by the way?" Addison asks her. "They were nice…" she says awkwardly herself.

"Yeah, Callie gave them back to me after," Meredith offers. "Thanks for washing them?" Meredith nearly collapses in laughter.

"No problem," says Addison. "I actually found them while doing laundry," she laughs.

"You did Derek's laundry!?" says Meredith.

"More than he likes to admit," says Addison.

"Do you miss being all wifey?" Meredith asks her.

"Well, not the laundry part!" Addison laughs.

They stay there until Meredith has recovered some more, and then Addison suddenly turns around and points to a photo on the mantelpiece.

"Is it that one?" she motions.

"Yes!" Exclaims Meredith. "It is!" she says.

"It's very adorable. Look how bundled up you are!" offers Addison.

"I think that might have been Boston?" says Meredith. "Or no, maybe Seattle…" she muses.

"It looks like a lot of fun," says Addison.

"Yeah, I think it was," says Meredith.

"Are you ready to show them?" Addison teases.

"You bet," says Meredith, as she reaches for the picture in the picture frame.

_And that's when they hear a slight tremble, and then some nervous chatter, and then they see absolutely nothing at all as they realize that the power's completely gone out._

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***** **END OF CHAPTER 4**

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_Author's Note:_

Happy holidays, folks! Hope you've enjoyed this addition to this popular work in it's semi-au semi canon-compliant way.

All of the latest #Meddison updates around the internet have been fantastic, and I highly encourage everyone to check out the other works from other authors around, and leave some nice comments to find :).

Have a good one,

_bobbiejelly_


	5. Chapter 5

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**Sweet Escape 5**

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"Ahh!" Addison Montgomery panics momentarily as the room goes pitch black.

"Shh, it's okay, it's okay," Meredith offers, as she realizes that all the lights have gone out.

Addison is a little bit afraid of the dark though, so she reaches her hand out reflexively to grab onto Meredith's.

"Can't we turn the lights on!? I can't see anything!" says the redhead.

"The power must be out, I'll go check on it," says Meredith.

"Wait, no. Don't go!" says Addison, clinging to her.

"Hey, I'm not going far, unless you want to come with me?" offers Meredith.

"Yes please," says Addison, loosening her iron grip on the blonde, once she knows that she's not going to be left completely alone in this familiar environment.

"Alright, follow me, then," says Meredith, smiling softly to herself as she leads the other doctor down the hallway to find a flashlight.

Addison keeps holding onto her hand, and Meredith can't help but be a tad bit delighted at that.

"Alright, I think we just need to find the electrical box…" says Meredith, as she rummages around with her free hand to find a light source.

"Is it far?" asks Addison, still a bit spooked.

"It's in the house," Meredith laughs, as she places her free hand over Addison's hand to reassure her.

"Addison," Meredith says, pulling the redhead closer for a hug. "It's going to be okay," she says, still holding onto her hand, and nuzzling her chin on Addison's shoulder.

"Thanks, Meredith," says Addison. "The dark… Just makes me a bit nervous, that's all," Addison responds.

"We'll tackle it together," Meredith promises.

_Somehow it seems more than just a promise to find the electrical box together._

* * *

"Would it be downstairs?" Addison wonders aloud.

"Yeah," says Meredith. "We better go down them one at a time," she offers, holding Addison's hand with one hand while she holds the railing with the other.

"One, two, three," Meredith counts aloud so they can walk together, their eyes slowly adjusting to the dark.

In all this confusion, Meredith has all but forgotten her stepmother and father are here, along with Alex and Izzie, but thankfully the bunch of them are still conversing over candlelight at the table, and have barely noticed the difference.

"Come on, I think it's in the basement," Meredith leads, as she helps Addison along.

It warms Meredith's heart in squishy places that Addison doesn't want to let go of her quite yet, and she figures it's the least she can do for the redhead, seeing as she's been comforting her all along.

"Alright, ready for another set of stairs?" Meredith asks Addison, and Addison nods at her.

They venture into the basement until Meredith locates her flashlight, and then she finally switches it on, and they both blink at the sudden whiteness.

"Ow, bright," Addison winces, and Meredith points it far away so their eyes can adjust.

"Sorry," Meredith apologizes quickly while she finds the fuse box, and opens it with a key.

There are all sorts of switches, and it takes a moment for Meredith to even consider what to do here.

"Gosh, it's like an O.R," says Meredith. "I feel like I'm operating," she laughs.

"Or it's pandora's box; you never know what you're going to get," suggests Addison.

They giggle, and it feels good, just the two of them alone in the storage room.

"Are you ready?" Meredith takes a deep breath.

"Ready," says Addison, taking in a deep breath as well.

It's anticlimactic though because it takes a few tries before they find the correct switch to flip.

"Got it!" says Meredith, as she finally finds it.

"Hooray!" Addison cheers, raising their hands in the air.

"Whew, that sure was a maze," says Meredith, pleased at her accomplishment.

"Congratulations," says Addison, unable to resist the urge to pick Meredith up in her arms and spin her around in the air before placing her back on her feet again.

"Hey, thanks for the moral support… Not just for this… But for all of it…" Meredith says to Addison, as she catches her breath from spinning so much.

"You're welcome, and thank you, Meredith," says Addison, as she hugs Meredith again, noticing just how well Meredith's head fits into the crook of her neck.

"You know, I think I'm finally hungry," Meredith laughs, as she has newfound courage to converse with her family members.

"Mm, I agree, I'm starving," Addison laughs, as they make their way back to the kitchen.

_The lights are on, and they don't have to keep holding hands at this point. But they do because they want to. And they don't want to admit that they're not quite ready to let go, even now._

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***** **END OF CHAPTER 5**

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	6. Chapter 6

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**Sweet Escape 6**

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"Ready to head back to dinner?" Addison asks Meredith, as she continues to hold the blonde's hand.

"Ready," Meredith says as confidently as she can muster, as she leads them both back to the dinner table.

"You fixed the lights?" Alex gruffs as he inhales another plate of potatoes.

"She did," Addison says proudly, and Meredith glows at her attention.

"She is very talented," says Susan Grey supportively.

"She is," Meredith agrees, and she can feel Izzie staring at her as she's beaming, but she tries desperately to ignore it.

Izzie stares Meredith down a little bit longer, and Meredith blushes as she feels Izzie looking between her and Addison.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm dying to try out Izzie's dessert," Meredith stands up abruptly to change the subject, and to hopefully distract Izzie from her examination game.

"Oh, dessert is always welcome," says Thatcher Grey.

"Dude, try living here, you'll gain like 15 pounds because Izzie's baking is awesome," says Alex.

"Well, I'm glad you're eating well Meredith," says Susan. "Why don't you let me know if you need anything, I can always bring groceries by," Susan offers.

"Oh, you don't need to do that, it's okay…" Meredith says awkwardly, a bit overwhelmed at Susan's mothering after her own mother's more… Absent parenting.

"Please, allow me," Susan smiles, and Meredith eventually nods at her slowly.

"I can send you the recipe for this if you'd like," Izzie offers.

"Oh, could you send it to me too? I really liked the chicken," says Addison.

"Dibs on the leftovers," says Alex.

"Hey!" Says Meredith.

"Don't worry, I made lots," Izzie laughs.

* * *

After this, Izzie runs off to fetch the dessert, and Addison helps her fetch the dessert bowls. Meredith steps up to help, but she's ambushed by more questions from her father.

"Would you like to come over to the house sometime?" Thatcher offers. "You could spend more time with Molly Grey and the baby, and if she's home from Harvard, you could meet Lexie," he says.

"Oh, maybe…" Meredith says noncommittally because she's not sure she's ready for that quite yet.

' _Harvard. Harvard!'_ _Meredith thinks to herself. 'As if being forgotten wasn't enough in the first place._

"We'd love for you to see the baby, Laura is very sweet," Susan suggests, and Meredith can't argue with the cuteness of babies.

"You could come by when Dr. Montgomery does for a checkup," Thatcher suggests, and that pretty much sells it for Meredith, that she could get to hang out some more with Addison.

"Okay, if she doesn't mind," Meredith acquiesces.

"I don't mind at all," Addison says as they emerge with the blueberry cobbler.

"Wow," says Thatcher.

"It looks great," says Susan.

"Can I have a big piece?" Says Alex.

"We're serving you last then," says Izzie, laughing.

It's of course, another major success, with Izzie's blueberry dessert perfectly matching the whipped cream and vanilla ice cream that accompanies it.

"Well, we'd best get going," says Susan once they're finished eating. "It's getting late for us," she says, and Meredith breathes a sigh of relief.

"Have a safe ride home," says Meredith, as she walks Susan and Thatcher out to their car.

The evening is crisp and still nice out, and Meredith waves goodbye along with the others.

"Hey, the swing works now. Cool," says Alex.

"Oh nice," says Izzie.

"Did your daddy fix it?" Alex teases.

"No actually, Addison did," says Meredith proudly.

"Huh, do you think you could fix my bookshelf for me too?" Alex jokes half-seriously.

"Hey, she's not a freelance carpenter," Meredith frowns at him.

"If it's wobbly, it might just need the screws tightened a little," Addison supplies easily.

"Brr, it's cold, I'm going inside," says Izzie, as she shivers, and Alex joins her.

"Well, I had a wonderful time Meredith. Thanks for inviting me," says Addison.

"Oh, thank YOU for coming, you really saved me there," says Meredith, instinctively reaching for a hug from the redhead.

"No problem," says Addison, as she rubs Meredith's back as they stay like that for a while.

* * *

"Do you have to go right away?" Meredith whispers, as Addison pulls away from the hug.

"Not right away," says Addison, "it's only eight," she adds.

"Well… Do you want to try out the swing with me?" Meredith asks her softly.

"Sure," says Addison, as she sits down, and motions for Meredith to join her.

"I'm really glad you came," Meredith finally relaxes, as she leans over onto Addison's shoulder.

"As I said, it was fun, and I'm glad you're getting to spend some time with your family," says Addison.

"Family is hard," says Meredith.

"It is," says Addison, and as she says this, Meredith pulls back from her a little, in surprise.

"What?" Addison wanderers.

"It's just…. You talk about it as if it's easy, but you find it hard too?" Says Meredith.

"I do," says Addison. "My brother's great, and we get along mostly, but my relationship with my parents is complicated, just like yours seems to be," says Addison.

"Yeah?" Says Meredith.

"Yeah," says Addison.

"But you think it's all worth it?" Meredith asks her.

"I think so," says Addison. "It can be work but I think it is worth it," says Addison, as she tucks Meredith's head into the crook of her neck.

They sit in the swinging chair, just rocking softly for a while, as they listen to the sounds of the wind outside, and the Seattle air settles around them.

"I missed sitting and swinging this chair," says Meredith.

"Well, you'll have lots of chances for that now," says Addison, hopeful for the new beginnings.

"You know, you can stop by some other times, only if you want to of course," offers Meredith.

"Thanks, Meredith," says Addison. "I just might sometime," Addison smiles.

Addison stays for another hour or so, until it starts to get really cold, and only then does Meredith walk her to her own car for the night, with the promise from Addison that they'll visit Molly and her new baby Laura together sometime very soon.

* * *

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***** **END OF CHAPTER 6**

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	7. Chapter 7

* * *

**Sweet Escape 7**

* * *

After Addison's come over to dinner, things have shifted in the dynamic between her and Meredith.

Things are calmer, more gentle, and even friendly.

With all the positive attention that Meredith has been getting from Addison, she's almost forgotten about Derek McDreamy entirely.

_Almost._

Derek hasn't forgotten about her though, and he starts following her around like a puppy and asking her to go out with him with the promise of steaks.

"Umm, I can't tonight, sorry Derek," Meredith mumbles, as she rattles off some excuses.

"So, tomorrow then?" Derek offers.

"Oh sorry, I have this thing…" Meredith mumbles, hoping that he'll take the hint and leave her alone.

"What is this thing that you're talking about? Surely it can't be as tempting as a date with me, right?" Derek smiles his smile, and Meredith almost gives into it.

He is fun, and he does have nice hair, and Meredith misses him in a way, even after the whole drama with Addison showing up.

But Addison showing up is precisely why she cannot bring herself to say yes to him, and instead, she fumbles an excuse about a baby's checkup with her, and Derek finally seems to lay off her.

"Thatcher and Susan want me to be a part of Laura Grey-Thompson's life, and I'm warming up to it, so that's what's been keeping me busy," Meredith sighs, and Derek says he's happy that Meredith is making amends with them.

"Hey, you don't get to judge me about my family. Family is complicated," Meredith grumbles.

"I wasn't judging," says Derek.

"I know, sorry it's just sensitive for me," says Meredith, forgiving him for that last part because he really didn't mean it.

Derek walks away then, and Meredith rushes to the OB-GYN wing because she just invented a fictional appointment with herself and her newborn niece and she needs it to be true before Derek calls her out for being a liar.

* * *

The moment she sees Addison alone there, just checking up on the babies her heart lightens and some of her stress melts away.

Addison is holding a newborn up in the sky and waving it around as it coos lightly.

"H-hi," Meredith says nervously as she enters the room.

"Hello, Meredith," says Addison sweetly, and Meredith's heart explodes a little bit at Addison's use of her first name.

"Hi-" Meredith repeats again, fidgeting with her hands as she watches Addison cuddle the baby.

"Look at this little one," Addison shows the baby off. "Weeks old, and already giggles," she says, as she lifts the baby up in the air again.

"Very cute," says Meredith, smiling widely as she watches Addison care for the infant.

In her head, Meredith can't help but snap back to when she was on the sing with Addison, how the motion rocked them both, and how Addison had been equally comforting.

' _Maybe it's just an Addison-thing,' Meredith imagines to herself._

"What, do you want a turn?" Addison teases lightly.

Meredith flushes at Addison guessing exactly what she never knew until that moment she wanted; Addison holding her up, twirling her in the air, cherishing her.

* * *

"Oh, ah, I wouldn't want to injure you," Meredith says shyly, the last thing she needs is for people to accuse her of breaking the neonatal surgeons back- literally!

"You're small, I can handle it," Addison smiles, and she holds her arms out for her.

It tempts her, and she's going to win, Meredith thinks to herself.

_She always wins, and it's awesome._

Tentatively, Meredith walks into Addison's arms, and the next thing she knows, she's flying, or at least, Meredith feels as though she is because Addison is whisking her up in the air, and spinning her around, and Meredith tries to justify to herself that she's dizzy from the spinning, but she just know that deep down that she's dizzy because Addison is that dizzying.

Addison is just so _there_ and so _cool_ and so _caring_ and when she's focusing on her, Meredith just feels so very alive.

She's seeing the room and its colors flash before her eyes, and then she focuses on the one part of the room that isn't spinning so much, and that's Addison's face, Addison's smile, Addison's bright green eyes, and her hair swishing and swaying.

Meredith imagines the centrifugal force pushing them in or away or apart, and she's not sure which one it is at the point, but she knows that she feels Addison's strong arms pushing against it, and pulling her in, and keeping her safe.

* * *

And that's when Meredith realizes that this is the perfect metaphor for this situation; that her world is spiraling out of control, but the redhead is keeping her grounded. Addison is the voice of reason, the person she can talk to, the person who listens.

And then she realizes that in putting Addison at the center, that she very literally is the center of her universe right now, and that she cares about her opinion of her more than anyone else's.

More than Derek's even, and that's an accomplishment.

Addison must be growing tired by now, and Meredith is starting to get actually dizzy, and she's not sure how she's going to get down from here, and suddenly she has a bit of vertigo, and she remembers the feeling from a very long time ago.

When Meredith was five years old, she rode on the carousel six times in a row all by herself as she watched her mother fight with a man who she later confirmed to be Richard Webber as they bickered about something she couldn't quite understand as a child.

She felt back then as if her feet would never touch the ground again, and ever since then, she's always avoided the amusement park rides that involved all of that spinning.

And now she's spinning and her world keeps turning and her family is still the source of much angst and anxiety, but at least at this point, she doesn't feel like a lone wolf in a pack full of emotionally unavailable relatives.

With Addison at her side (oops, she's speculating that Addison will stay at her side!). She feels as though she finally has an ally, and that she can handle the twists and turns because she has someone to help pull her back down to earth again.

* * *

As she actually is brought down to earth again, Addison wraps her arms around her further so that she slows down, and falls into a hug. The colors start to solidify, and Meredith blinks a few times to make sure she's finally gotten her wits about her again.

Addison smells nice, and Meredith tucks her head into Addison again so she can keep feeling her, and feeling good again.

Her body seems to want to keep her here, and it seems to know to be repelled by other people who've hurt her before.

"Are you on my service today, Dr. Grey?" Addison finally asks her, as their hug comes to its natural end.

"Oh, no actually, I came here to ask you a question, well, to ask for your help again-" Meredith babbles, and she hopes that Addison will associate this with her recent spinning.

"Oh, sure," Addison smiles, and Meredith takes a deep breath before continuing.

* * *

"I was wondering if you wanted to visit the baby- my niece- Laura Grey-Thompson tomorrow, and maybe even this evening, but only if that's not too much for you, or too little notice or-" Meredith rambles.

She always feels like she's rambling around Addison.

"Yeah, I can," Addison accepts. "Would you like to get dinner after?" Addison offers.

"Sure!" Meredith exclaims before she can filter herself.

"Great," says Addison. "I'll see you later then," the corner of Addison's eyes crinkle as she speaks, and that's how Meredith knows that her answers are genuine.

"Yeah-" Meredith says, smiling as she moves to turn away.

"It's a date then," Addison says nonchalantly, and Meredith nearly stumbles right there.

Addison had called it a date, and Meredith wasn't sure if she meant it as a figure of speech, or as a date-date, and Meredith can't bring herself to think too much either way.

She knows that she's having dinner with Addison after visiting her family later today, and she's happy about that.

And Meredith is so caught up in her happiness that she doesn't even think to fight off her inner voice that's finally starting to call Susan Grey and Laura Grey-Thompson her _family._

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***** **END OF CHAPTER 7**

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